Featured comment:

The market is rising on pure speculation now... without the known cure for Americas imense debt... what are investors (spruikers) placing their hopes on? Take the big 4 profiteers out of the equation and the ASX is essentially trading at 3 year lows. How many stocks have dropped 50% or more since the 5000 mark was last reached?? More than I can count. 2013 this will be fun!

I missed the bloody drop, but got out at 7:15. Still in good profit than heavens.

Commenter

Another Grump

Location

Melb

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:02PM

Oz Minerals dropping 9%, Telstra suddenly increasing by 4 cents in half an hour. It is a curious world and it is getting curiouser and curiouser. What causes these fluctuations? Who knows - imperfect flow of market information or lo and behold a bit of old fashioned market manipulation.

Commenter

Confused

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:00PM

Sudden unexplained OZL collapse with massive volumes. Let's see, weakish guidance and the end of the year coming up, somebody does large sell and the high speed bots go berserk....???? Machine induced instability, surely not!

Commenter

Catch 22

Location

Explanation Wanted

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:27PM

@allan. How's the shorting of the banks working out for you???

Commenter

LOL@peoplewhothinktheyknow

Location

coogee

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:28PM

CBA short is slightly out of the money. Betting on a big fall ahead. Thanks for following my posts and for being a fan.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:53PM

Oh and I see you think you know it won't fall. You know.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:59PM

@Allan

Get ready for the biggest housing crash this country has ever seen. If you haven't liquidated property, bought $US and shorted the banks you're missing the main game. 18/5/12 Allan

You have being waiting 7 months now Allan. Must be hard to be never wrong

see you in 2013

Commenter

Fan

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 2:15PM

It's always fun baiting poor old Allan.He's like a gold fish... 7 second memory.or one of those blow up plastic things with water in it, that you keep hitting and it keeps bouncing back.

Commenter

Econorat

Location

Sydney

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:29PM

No not waiting, those shorts were closed already. Now those shorts have now been reloaded. Geez, try to keep up.

Oh and if you don't know there's a housing bubble here's a picture for you:

Econorat you don't post much any more. Still looking for a trade surplus? February you said. ROFLMAO! Carp.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:56PM

I see the Nikkei has gone up 1400 points in the last month. See what an election can do. Can't wait till the 26/10/2013 to have our day. Goodbye Julia you are the weakest link!

Commenter

Jonaze

Location

Sydney

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:10PM

all ords hitting 5000, maybe 6000? The sky is the limit once the people dump Gillard and Swan!

Commenter

panda

Location

perth

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:42PM

The definition of Hyperbole.

Claiming "Markets Live: Billabong shares wiped out" when in reality it is a 10% slide.

Back to English comprehension classes for someone at the Age.

Ed: Journos love a pun.

Commenter

Joe

Location

Geelong

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:02PM

$10 to 87c is a wipeout in anyone's books. They hit a reef, got smashed to pieces and are sinking to the bottom.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:28PM

America is working out debt ceiling Europe getting better Greece upgraded Chinese growth next year of at least 7.5% Dow up two days in a row over 100 points spi up 29 and look at us pathetic My pet snail climbs up faster than the ASX. and he's got no legs.

Commenter

Jonaze

Location

Sydney

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:57AM

The Nice Chinese are saying they intend to hold the growth rate on an even keel next year instead of accelarating it as many pundits were predicting. Wonder what that's gonna do to the mining stocks? FMG still headed for a (sustainable) $5 ? Do we still believe the honourable intentions of the Nice Chinese? Mmmm

Commenter

Catch 22

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:27AM

Intrpid mines another compant burnt ny doing business in countries where they have no hope of getting legal certainty about ownership, regulation or anything else. Their gold mine in Indonesia has been sold from under them by unscrupulous locals. They should ge together with Lynas and compare notes on how to be taken for a ride.

Oh and happy days, CSR is $2 again, same as it was in 1980. Yippee!

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:19AM

"Intrpid mines another compant burnt ny"Interesting stuff Allan you said the other day that you could spell !Cheers

Commenter

Opto

Location

who else

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:55AM

Still smarting about LINK huh? Did you make 20% on the short at least?

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:24PM

I do not believe in shorting Allan and never will do it. Just because it is legally allowed does not make it right. It is understandable that there needs to be checks and balances in the system. However to allow shareholders to be literally crushed within by this type of activity for profit begs the question. In fact many activities that are allowed in this market are questionable.

Commenter

Opto

Location

Hi

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:44PM

I see, so the market is rigged but despite that you still think you're going to make a profit. Sanity check table 4!

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:03PM

Geez Opto,

You sure are a sentimental man.Aren't we all in this to make money? If Long is working for you then let it be, same goes for short. Or be flexible, "be water my friend".

Commenter

got brain

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 1:47PM

Oh you poor thing been doing a bit of self diagnosis! FMG is holding up pretty good hey? How is that short going buying more perhaps !Cheers

Commenter

Opto

Location

Hi again

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 2:28PM

Never heard of a short cover for a long? Newbie. And yep at 4.70.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:54PM

Our imminent CSR Shareholder has got his Christmas wish of $2 a share. Pleased for you. Nice to see the market heading up isn't it ? FMG is holding up there after a slightly premature rush to the $4.70's Good stuff !Cheers

Commenter

Opto

Location

Hi

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:47AM

LOL, long FMG since $3.4. Whooping 34%, why short when you can earn actual money for long after a crash ? Wheeee :)

Commenter

got brain

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 12:18PM

When FMG was $3.40 you posted "Seriously... don't think FMG has many options at the current IO price. I cut loss at 2% after the previous bounce and so glad I did... Time shall tell"

hmm, if you don't keep track, how do you even know what I typed hmm? Oh let me explain for you, in our human factor field, it's called subliminal message (or a sub type of it to be exact). You may deny it but you did remember it.

And did you really scroll through all the results of google to find the post like you claimed? Thx for being a fan. <3

Commenter

got brain

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 2:21PM

Huh? I read it six months ago. I don't choose to remember everything I read I just do. Not difficult.

Commenter

Allan

Location

Prahran

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 3:51PM

If all these mumbo jumbo comments were to be multiplied by 16847 the market will still go up.

Commenter

Another smarty

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:46AM

Then Jonaze would finally be pleased!

Commenter

PDJ

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:22AM

Back to the Sun-Herald with you, Mr Smarty

Commenter

Another Grump

Location

Melb

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:25AM

The market is rising on pure speculation now... without the known cure for Americas imense debt... what are investors (spruikers) placing their hopes on? Take the big 4 profiteers out of the equation and the ASX is essentially trading at 3 year lows. How many stocks have dropped 50% or more since the 5000 mark was last reached?? More than I can count. 2013 this will be fun!

Commenter

Liberator

Location

SEQLD

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:26AM

Those people writing the headlines on the Cliff every day really need to get a grip, and do some serious research. Every day it changes, and even when it does not change we have some turkey saying that buyers are confident be cause talks are ongoing. Meanwhile the market moves to its own, ridiculous, beat regardless of the state of talks. Is this the new millenium bug ?.

Commenter

Another Grump

Location

Melb

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:12AM

Surprised that BBG mgmt thinks it is appropriate for BBG shares to trade again until the market knows if the bidder will waive the secrecy provsion of the offer.

Good example of an uninformed market where insiders can make easy money. Hope ASIC is watching closely...

Chances are the approach will be made again by the end of year. It also wouldn't surprise me if the bidder (or their associates / counterparties) were responsible for leaking the bid to the AFR.

The ongoing strength behind the TEN network's share price amazes me... you'd think any buyers would wait till after the retail offer to stock up given the high probability of selling to fund acceptances... (plus any dumping by sub-underwriters to the retail offer) Perhaps all the buying is just an underwriter to the offer propping up the share price to limit their take up of the retail offer.

Either way looks like a v'tempting short right now. Some might even say the short of the year - if it didn't look like we might need to wait till late Jan / Feb to close the short... (short of the year is a v'big call I know)

Perhaps this might not be a bad time to run through what other bloggers think has been the best short of the year so far? FMG and ARI have been strong shorts earlier in the year when the iron ore price was dropping... what are the other contenders?

Commenter

Seriously...

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 9:21AM

Hi Seriously, i dont trade shorts but LNC would have to have been a good one.

Commenter

Another Grump

Location

Melb

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:07AM

There is no short to be made as shares are blatantly manipulated, and the index ramped every single day after open. There can be no correction at this point, only ever higher ramps until catastrophic crash.

Commenter

Don't try to play in a rigged game, this is not even a casino any more

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:10AM

Or any of the rare earths prospects!

Commenter

Liberator

Location

SEQLD

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:13AM

Are you serious? The fastest way to lose money is to short hoping for a ka boom.Wheras putting your chips on long and riding the boom is childs play.Let us know if you ever have a go.

Commenter

Logic

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 10:38AM

I would be cautious about opening shorts now while this totally rational and non-manipulated looking rally is continuing. There is a long way to the bottom and it won't happen in one day. I'm being patient and waiting it out :)

Commenter

panda

Location

perth

Date and time

December 19, 2012, 11:59AM

The last trade I done - about 5 weeks ago - was a nice short on the XJO. The trade before that was a short on NAB but I only got in halfway on the down... Still beats the two longs I ran and both lost the previous month!!